


Steps

by SaraJaye



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: First Dates, Friendship, Holding Hands, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Game(s), Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-02-08
Packaged: 2018-09-23 00:01:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9630689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: In which Gladion lets Hau try to lift his spirits after Lillie's departure.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [veleda_k](https://archiveofourown.org/users/veleda_k/gifts).



He missed her. He'd gotten all his tears out the day she left, but he still missed Lillie. His first crush, a girl he'd watched grow stronger and set out to make her own way in the world, who'd protected him by going along with Team Skull willingly.

He wrote her letters, hoping they'd reach her before she moved to the next city or town. _How's Kanto? Is it every bit as nice as Luna said? How's the food there? Is it true that Meowth and Sandshrew look different? Tell me about the Gyms._

Luna wrote letters, too, asking similar questions and keeping her updated on Nebby. But she and Hau always signed them the same way: _We miss you. Come back and visit us sometime._

Everyone missed her, but not everyone talked about it. One person in particular, even though Hau knew he was the one who had to be thinking about her the most.

"Alola! How are you doing today, Gladion?"

"Oh, it's you." Gladion looked up slightly but didn't stop petting Silvally, whose head rested on his lap. Hau smiled, sitting down beside him. Gladion frowned, but didn't tell him to leave like he once would have.

"Want to go for some malasada? I'll treat!"

"I'm not that hungry," Gladion mumbled. "Maybe another time."

Hau didn't miss the expression on his face, the way his fingers tensed up as he kept petting his Pokemon.

"I know you miss them." Gladion's frown deepened as he closed his eyes, he turned away but his fingers paused and Silvally whimpered, as if he could sense the unease in his trainer, too.

"I never said I didn't."

Hau shifted closer and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know I can be a little overwhelming sometimes, especially to a guy like you. But we're friends, right? And a friend doesn't like seeing someone he cares about so lonely," he said. "I know you've had a lot on your mind, but maybe it's time to think about other things."

Gladion slowly turned back to him, his face softening and his body relaxing. Silvally nuzzled his hand, and the three of them sat in a contemplative silence.

He knew he couldn't just _make_ Gladion smile. Aside from missing his sister and his mother, he'd suffered just as much as Lillie had all those years and now the future of the Aether Foundation rested on his shoulders. But Hau was the kind of person who just wanted to _help,_ even if he couldn't magically fix things with a snap of his fingers.

All he could do was try to make sure Gladion didn't close himself off while he tried to figure things out.

"I don't even like Malasada that much," Gladion finally said. Hau shrugged.

"Then we'll get noodles. Or sushi, or ice cream, whatever you'd like!" he said. The corner of Gladion's mouth twitched, not quite a smile but closer than Hau had seen in a long time.

"You won't take no for an answer, will you?" But he gently nudged Silvally off of his lap and stood up, Silvally making a happy noise as they left the building.

"That's the spirit!"

Halfway to the port, Hau felt Gladion's fingers brush against his. When he turned to face him, the other boy's almost-smile had become a real one. A tiny one, barely noticeable from a distance but it was there.

He laced their fingers together, and Gladion let him.


End file.
